From Marcell Jacobs high praise for Jannik Sinner and Italian sport

In an interview with “Repubblica,” Marcell Jacobs, Olympic champion of the 100 and the 4×100 in Tokyo, has big words of praise for Jannik Sinner after the world No. 1’s momentous triumph at Wimbledon and stresses how Italian sport is consistently at the top. Here are Jacobs’ words.

“In Italy we don’t set limits anymore. It’s mostly a mental job: resist when no one believes in you, get back up after defeats, adapt. That’s what I did, and that’s what Sinner did after the final he lost at Roland Garros.”

“I didn’t win when I was young, every result I earned by fighting. Jannik also fell, but he never stopped. And now he’s playing like he’s been number one for 10 years. Instead he’s only 23. Victories give you incredible emotions, but it’s from defeats that you really learn. They force you to look inside, to improve.”

Jacobs also has a thought for Federica Brignone, winner of the Alpine Ski World Cup and now recovering from the serious injury she suffered at the end of last season: “At 35 years old, despite her injury, she continues to amaze. This shows that Italian sport has changed its skin: every year we bring out something extraordinary. And we have no intention of stopping.”